James Ee Secondary 3H1 2013 Freedom Mission statement Freedom from fear is the freedom I claim for you my motherland Poet coming to the forefront of fight for independence Tagore participated in the independence movement not a mere onlooker ID: 372483
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Slide1
Analysis of Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Freedom’
James Ee
Secondary 3H1
2013Slide2
‘Freedom’
Mission statement:
‘Freedom
from fear is the freedom I claim for you my motherland
!’
Poet coming to the forefront of fight for independence
Tagore participated in the independence movement – not a mere onlooker
‘fear’
: reticence to seek independence
Imagery: nation as aged mother:
‘blinding your eyes’
– active verb:
does not resist invasion
‘breaking your back’:
ref. how British plundered and weighed down on IndiaSlide3
‘Freedom’
Antithesis – slumber and awakening:
nation as insecure, hesitant:
‘shackles of slumber’
–
cf. Naidu’s ‘To India
’
‘
fasten yourself’
– active verb:
n
ation portrayed as insecure
‘mistrusting’
: ‘slumber’ hinders
judgement
of right and wrong
Hesitant to seek independence from British
Destiny vs. free will:
‘anarchy of destiny’
: how indecisiveness will lead to ruin
‘sails weakly yielded to the blind uncertain winds’
: Indian people subjected to the whims and fancies of the Empire
‘hand ever rigid and cold as death’
: unfeeling and cruel plundering of India
destroys
her identity and culture
Poet seeks to reverse this ‘destiny’Slide4
‘Freedom’
Destiny vs. free will – continued:
‘insult’
– cf.
Bharati’s
‘
Vande
Mataram
’
‘in a puppet’s world’
: how India is not free to shape her destiny
‘brainless wires’, ‘mindless habits’
: monotonous and erroneous
judgment
‘wait with patience and obedience’
: total and willing subjugation to whims of British
‘master of show’
: sarcastic – colonial masters
‘to
be
stirred into a mimicry of life’
: actions controlled by other’s decisions – artificial pretentiousness of
lifeSlide5
Discussion of ‘Freedom’
Sense of nation:
Inaction arises from fear: people afraid of rebellion
People lie in passive subjugation – no resistance against British
Clouded judgment and insecurity – caused by fear
Destiny that will bring it to ruin
National identity:
Poet’s individual identity fused with that of the community’s greater identity
Desperation to bring forth change: cannot stand and watch injustices
Nation annexed to another nation: sovereignty clashes